It’s the middle of the summer!
Have you noticed the number of drownings in our area over the last few weeks? We worry about a lot of things concerning our children, water safety needs to be at or near the top. If you have a pool or are going to a water recreation area, here are some tips. (again, from an article I read)
- Safety briefings. Parents should outline where their children can swim, jump in, how they can jump in, and anything else safety related. A great time to do this is while applying sunscreen. Chil- dren should also know the consequences if they don’t follow the safety rules. The rules do two things. One, children learn to respect the water, and two, rules create boundaries in which a child may have
- Depth of Water vs. Height Children should know the depth of water in relation to their own height. If the water is higher than their breathing passageways, there may be
- Learn how to get away from a struggling swim- mer. A lot of drownings occur when someone else is struggling and pulls another swimmer down. When I learned lifesaving techniques, I learned to kick a person in the chest away from you and grab them from the back. A young swimmer should learn to suck, duck, tuck: Suck in air if you can (get a breath), duck under the water (the struggling person doesn’t want to go there), and tuck (use your arms and legs to push away) — and then yell for an adult immediately to help the other
- Distraction can kill. In general, it is important that someone is aware of what a child is doing in a pool. (That’s why we have lifeguards.) Make sure that there is someone is keeping tabs on wa- ter
- Designate breaks. This goes for both the par- ent and the child. Being vigilant can be exhaust- ing. The child may need some time out of the pool to rest as
- Limited Trust. A quote from the article. “This may sound harsh, but I don’t trust other people to watch my kids in the pool. It is me or my hus- band, that is it. If they are swimming at Grandma’s, they have to wear a lifejacket. If they are going in the water at the beach on a board with their cousin, they have to wear a lifejacket. I see so many events where trust was placed in another person or grandpa took them to the pool, or a neighbor invited them
I may love these people, and they may love my children, but I don’t trust them in this specific en- vironment, nor do I want them to have to own that responsibility if something were to happen to one of my kids in their care. It just isn’t worth it. Do my kids whine, yep. Do I care, nope! They know the other option is they just don’t go.”
- Lifejackets are cool. There is sometimes a stigma about wearing a lifejacket. We need to get over that. There may be situations (like on a boat on a lake) where someone is a hearty swim away from shore. In that case, a lifejacket could be the difference between life and
- Children should know the dangers of water as well as the joys. It just makes sense. They should know that diving in head first into an unfamiliar body of water could be paralyzing.
- “Hey, watch this.” Usually this statement is used when a boundary is about to be broken. You never want this to be your final
- See Something, Say Something. An im- portant part of teaching kids responsibility is hav- ing them be safety monitors as well. They need to speak up if a friend is struggling in the water. You can’t always assume someone is playing. Many drowning occur when someone assumes that the swimmer seems OK, but they are
Other Water Safety Tips:
Swim Lessons Save Lives
Learn CPR — Drowning patients need oxygen — give air first!
USCG approved lifejackets only — no arm floaties or inflatables
Designate A Water Watcher / Swim with a Life- guard
Always use pool barriers and layers of protection Wear bright contrasting colors — stay visible!
Enter the water feet first No running
Stay hydrated / Protect yourself from the sun No drugs / Alcohol
All water is dangerous — even inches Always swim with a buddy
Lost / Missing kids — always check the water first